The foodies’ guide to Kala Ghoda Festival 2018

From the top workshops to the best cafes to grab a bite

It’s that time of the year when the streets of South Mumbai start to look like an abstract art gallery. The annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2018, which is from February 3 – 11, is a nine day extravaganza of art, culture, shopping and some very quirky ideas. With over 500 programs scheduled at the festival including comedy, literature, dance and music, this year there’s a huge buzz around their food workshops, and we picked some that really stood out. And if all that exploring, shopping and attending workshops has you working up an appetite, then pop by some of our favourite Kala Ghoda restaurants and cafes.

BEST FOOD WORKSHOPS AT KALA GHODA FESTIVAL

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Workshop at Kala Ghoda Festival 2018: Arina Suchde, Trash Cooking

This is an enlightening workshop where Suchde teaches you the importance of using an entire ingredient or vegetable. She talks about the bits that are usually trashed and teaches you how to cook with them to reduce waste. You always hear about vegetable skin having plenty of nutrients but can you actually cook with it? Suchde’s got all the answers.Venue: Cross Maidan, Thursday, February 8, 8.00 – 9.00pm

We all known our major Indian spices and how to use them in our curries and sabzis, but this workshop is about using the spices available in any household kitchen and creating different recipes with them. Think curry powder pasta or haldi in your grilled chicken. It’s not impossible, it’s creative and it’s understanding familiar flavours and how to use them beyond the obvious.Venue: Cross Maidan, on Friday, February 9, 6.30 – 7.30pm

Conscious Foods has been the last two decades retailing natural organic products and this workshop is dedicated to throwing light on the importance of Indian grains and millets. Understanding them, their use as well as benefits and most importantly, how to cook with them.Venue: Cross Maidan, Tuesday, February 6, 6.30 – 7.30pm

Coastal cuisine is always associated with robust seafood. Sandeep Sreedharan, who is on a crusade to popularise our coastal fare, is highlighting vegetarian dishes from the Konkan coast along with his recipes. He’s trying to bring more awareness to this regional cuisine that has superb vegetarian offerings, which often tend to get overshadowed by the variety of seafood dishes.Venue: Cross Maidan, Saturday, February 10, 6.30 – 7.30pm

BEST RESTAURANTS AND CAFES TO TRY DURING KALA GHODA FESTIVAL 2018

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Where: Bake House Cafe

What: Tenderloin Steak

In a city full of diverse restaurants, it’s still a tough task to find a decent steak dinner. This cafe, hidden in the smaller lanes of Kala Ghoda, is ideal for European fare but it is their Tenderloin Steak—beaten flat, doused in a thick garlic pepper sauce with a side of greens, creamy mash and crispy onion rings—that is the real winner here.Kala Ghoda Building, 43 Ropewalk Lane, Behind Rhythm House, Kalaghoda, Fort, Mumbai

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Where: The Nutcracker

What: Warm Lebanese Sandwich

While this charming little hole-in-the-wall is often frequented for their pancakes and that luscious seven layered chocolate cookie, the real treat are their savoury dishes. The warm Lebanese sandwich is the perfect choice to fill you up, with falafels, spicy harissa, fresh salad and pickles, all tucked into a pita and served with a side of hummus.Modern House, Dr VB Gandhi Marg, Opposite One Forbes Building, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

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Where: AKA Bistro

What: Buckwheat Crepes

Almost every restaurant serving crepes dusts them with powder sugar or swirls of chocolate but here, at AKA Bistro, they make the perfect savoury version. Their buckwheat crepes come with different stuffings but the ratatouille with garden vegetables and feta is the best of the lot.123, Nagindas Master Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

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Where: Chetana

What: Thali

It’s classic and timeless, and as far as restaurants in Kala Ghoda that delight, Chetana has been a frontrunner for many years. They generously offer different snacks and vegetarian dishes, including three types of thalis. They even have their take on a healthy diet thali, but the traditional Gujarati thali or Chetana regular thali are the best.34, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

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Where: Copper Chimney

What: Dal Maharaja

The restaurant has been pleasing their patrons with secret traditional recipes from their ustaadis (chefs) for the past 70 years, and nothing has change in terms of quality or taste. There is a wide variety of choice here featuring treasured North Indian delicacies, but one of their most iconic remains the Dal Maharaja. Slow cooked black lentils, simmered overnight in spices and finished with a dollop of hand churned butter is as close to decadent comfort food as it gets.Ground floor, 30 Rampart Road, K Dubhash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai